Class Placement of Elementary School Emerging Bilingual Students

Abstract

The present study tracks course placement and achievement from a large data set of “LEP” elementary students. The results indicate that the course placement for many students is uneven and unlikely to support the goals of bilingual or ESL education. For instance, many native Spanish-speaking students who began their schooling in a bilingual education classroom were later placed in ESL classes, then placed back into bilingual education, resulting in language learning disruptions. An analysis of achievement data suggests improper placement may result in lower achievement. However, it is argued that the general data collected by schools does not currently render much useful evaluation of bilingual or ESL education.